2.08.2013

A cup of cheer

What? You say it's February 2013? I'm still catching up on my December posts ... 
Besides, are you only thirsty in December? I think not.


I'm big on tradition, especially Christmas traditions. So every year I make Ruby Wine Punch. Sometimes for an event but usually just for me. Two Christmas-es ago I made some, bragged about it on Facebook and had two friends ask for the recipe. I thought, hey I'll just post about it and they can get the recipe off my site. So I did it the very next day. Here it is, finally. 

I haven't shared many recipes on Pretty Little Nest because I haven't felt enough ownership to claim the right to publish. But this recipe for Ruby Wine Punch has been in the family now for three generations. My thanks to one Mrs. Morrisson for sharing it with my grandmother.

Ruby Wine Punch

3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
6 inches of cinnamon sticks
1 tsp whole cloves
dash of salt
2 cups burgandy wine
1 quart cranapple juice

Combine water, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a saucepan; bring to a boil stirring constantly. Reduce to simmer 10 minutes until clear like syrup. Chill (wine and the cranapple juice should be chilling in the fridge as well). Combine with wine and cranapple juice. Serve. If serving in a punch bowl, go ahead and get fancy with an ice ring of cranapple juice. It is rather sweet so you can add ginger ale/sprite or cut back on the sugar. 

Notes from me: I made 2012's version with a cheap dry red and cran-pomegranate juice. Not the same so sticking to the recipe next time. Try to strain the punch while pouring into a cup. No need to ruin Christmas by choking on a clove. AND if you put the punch back into the cranapple juice container CLEARLY MARK the container before someone pours the "juice" into a cup for your four-year-old. Just saying. 

Do you like those wonderfully vintage Christmas glasses? Score at the thrift store! Even better, got six of them marked way less than they should have been. Double score!

6 comments:

  1. Dude, cloves add roughage. Fiber! It's what's for dinner! Also? I love that you are happily posting stuff a month past the new year. Do what you gotta do! I'll still totally make it. (When I'm not doing a diet bet anyway... oy. Thankfully reading about evil yummy things I MUST HAVE RIGHT NOW is calorie-free.) :) Also, also? I can totally see that "juice" incident happening in my house in the next couple of years. So, um, thanks for the tip.

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    1. I purposely have never referred to a glass of wine as Mommy's juice because little kids are literal thinkers. Also, they don't get sarcasm.

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